Making every effort to avoid Mexico City's confusing highways, we routed south through Toluca to get to our next destination, Cuernavaca. From what I had read this city, also known as Mexico’s eternal Spring, is to Mexico City as Whistler is to Vancouver – a weekend retreat for the wealthy. Knowing Whistler as I do, I had high expectations. But put the necessity of retreating out of Mexico City in contrast to Vancouver’s temperate beauty and you will realize that Cuernavaca is no Whistler. It is a city that happens to have pleasant temperatures year-round and is located within in a couple hours’ drive from a huge urban centre. It is not a resort municipality. We reached our highest altitude of the trip (3200 m) passing through a beautiful National Park just north-east of Cuernavaca but I don’t know the name of it just now. It reminded us of home with its evergreens and ferns and also because it was raining.

We visited our first ruins, called Xochicalco, which were very impressive

. Evidence shows this was a major centre that traded with all the other known civilizations of Mexico 600 – 1000 AD. That puts them as older than the Mayans whom we will be learning all about coming up shortly. We had to buy a post card because we forgot to bring our camera.

For those of you who have been wondering about the bugs in Mexico… I’ve been bit on my temple by something that caused blood blisters to form – I’m trying not to think about it too much. Then at Xochicalco, some unseen beasties (Keara’s calling them Mexican Monsters)chowed on my ankle and it is very itchy!! But all in all, it hasn’t been too bad so far.